Arterial vascularization patterns of the splenium: An anatomical study

Abstract

The aim of this study was to provide detailed information about the arterial vascularization of the splenium of the corpus callosum (CC). The splenium is unique in that it is part of the largest commissural tract in the brain and a region in which pathologies are seen frequently. An exact description of the arterial vascularization of this part of the CC remains under debate. Thirty adult human brains (60 hemispheres) were obtained from routine autopsies. Cerebral arteries were separately cannulated and injected with colored latex. Then, the brains were fixed in formaldehyde, and dissections were performed using a surgical microscope. The diameter of the arterial branches supplying the splenium of the CC at their origin was investigated, and the vascularization patterns of these branches were observed. Vascular supply to the splenium was provided by the anterior pericallosal artery (40%) from the anterior circulation and by the posterior pericallosal artery (88%) and posterior accessory pericallosal artery (50%) from the posterior circulation. The vascularization pattern of the splenium differs in each hemisphere and is usually supplied by multiple branches. The arterial vascularization of the splenium of the CC was studied comprehensively considering the ongoing debate and the inadequacy of the studies on this issue currently available in the literature. This anatomical knowledge is essential during the treatment of pathologies in this region and especially for splenial arteriovenous malformations.

Intervention versus Aggressive Medical Therapy for Cognition in Severe Asymptomatic Carotid Stenosis

“…The focal FA at the watershed posterior corpus callosum and the posterior periventricular region, rather than the hemispheric mean FA, increased, particu- larly in the stent-placement group. The posterior corpus callosum (ie, the splenium) is supplied by both the anterior cerebral artery and the posterior cerebral artery, 35 perfusion of which can be augmented by revascularization therapy. The nearby retrosplenial cortex is structurally connected with the medial prefrontal cortex and medial temporal regions and involved in memory processing 36 with the precuneus, posterior cingulate cortex, and hippocampus.…”

Reversible lesion in the splenium of the corpus callosum

“…The SCC may have more abundant blood flow and be susceptible to cytotoxic edema caused by cytokine release in the blood than are other brain areas because the SCC is supplied not only by the anterior circulation but also from the posterior circulation, unlike the rest of the corpus callosum that is solely supplied by the internal carotid artery network (Kahilogullari et al, ; Kakou et al, ). In the neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes of the corpus callosum, there is also a higher density of receptors including cytokine receptors and glutamate (Hassel, Boldingh, Narvesen, Iversen, & Skrede, ).…”

The corpus callosum in the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis and other CNS demyelinating and inflammatory diseases

“…The CC has a rich blood supply from three main arterial systems originating from the anterior cerebral artery (ACA) and posterior cerebral artery (PCA; figure 1B) 1. The major arterial supply to the body of the CC is from the pericallosal segment of the ACA with arterioles penetrating its superior aspect vertically or obliquely with distal branches reaching the subependymal region 2 3.…”

“…In most subjects, a branch of the anterior communicating artery also contributes to the blood supply of the CC, especially the anterior portion 3. A branch of the PCA, the posterior pericallosal artery, usually supplies the splenium, with the anterior circulation contributing in a significant proportion of patients 1. The venous drainage of the CC is through callosal veins, the majority of which run perpendicularly to the ventricular face of the callosum and are fed by callosal venules.…”